Nanyang Technological University’s Green Roof

Here at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, the School of Art, Design and Media stands out amongst the other campus buildings thanks to its unique approach to modern, ecologically-minded architectural practices.

Actually, despite being a 5 storey building, it doesn’t stand out at all. From our satellite vantage point it blends in neatly with the surrounding vegetation thanks to the almost total coverage of green roofing.

Green roofing is the the practice of using part or all of the roof of a building to grow vegetation, and it has many environmental benefits, as well as providing excellent insulation for the building itself.

The whole building also slopes down dramatically to meet the ground, which as we can see in this photo, allows the students to climb directly onto the roof to enjoy the open space that it provides.

The existence of green roofs demonstrates a growing trend in urban spaces for buildings to use their rooftops to provide some open space for residents or employees to enjoy. Today they’re used all over the world – here’s the closest one to me in Edinburgh – which is easy to spot from on top of nearby Calton Hill.

In the UK there are lots of green roofs, but thanks to the weather they don’t always appear to be very green. Here’s the Rolls Royce factory in Goodwood, East Sussex, which at 32,000m² is one of the biggest green roofs in Europe.

Apart from the Parliament House in Australia this is about the only example I know: the library of the Technical University in Delft, The Netherlands: View Placemark / Google Earth At least this one does look green!

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Previously on Google Sightseeing

Europe plays host to some of the planet’s most breathtaking mountain vistas. Much of this wonderful scenery is accessible relatively easily by vehicle – and therefore by Street View! In this entry, we count down the five highest paved roads on the continent.

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